29.06.2025 01:40
In the report prepared by a forensic computing firm based in India, based on camera footage related to the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır, it was determined that Narin Güran was abducted near the house of Nevzat Bahtiyar. The report also included information that Narin never reached the house of Arif Güran.
In the report prepared by the India-based forensic firm based on camera footage regarding the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır, it was determined that the child was abducted near the house of Nevzat Bahtiyar and that Arif Güran never reached his home.
In the rural Tavşantepe neighborhood of Bağlar district in Diyarbakır, after Narin Güran went missing on August 21, 2024, her lifeless body was found on the 19th day of the search efforts, hidden in a sack covered with three stones weighing 30, 25, and 20 kilograms, in a stream bed. A case was opened against four individuals at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court regarding Narin Güran's death.
THREE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Salim Güran, her uncle, who had DNA and hair samples belonging to Narin in his vehicle, along with her mother Yüksel Güran and brother Enes Güran, were taken into custody. Afterward, neighbors, including Nevzat Bahtiyar, who confessed to transporting the body to the stream bed, were charged with 'intentional murder of a child in complicity,' and aggravated life imprisonment was requested. In the second hearing of the trial held on December 28, Salim Güran, Enes Güran, and Yüksel Güran were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for 'intentional murder of a child in complicity,' while Nevzat Bahtiyar received a 4-year and 6-month prison sentence for 'destroying, concealing, or altering evidence.' The court ruled for the continuation of the defendants' detention.
THE COURT'S SENTENCE WAS UPHELD BY A MAJORITY VOTE
The appeals filed by the lawyers of the detained defendants, the lawyers of the complainant Arif Güran, who acted as the father, and the Family and Social Services Ministry and Diyarbakır Bar Association as 'participants' were examined at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court. The case file, consisting of 17 folders, along with the appeal requests, was sent to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeal for evaluation. In a decision made on May 26, the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Regional Court of Appeal upheld the prison sentences given by the court for the four defendants by a majority vote. Additionally, the Court President stated the reasons for the decision and added a dissenting opinion.
The Court President emphasized in the dissenting opinion that the camera recordings, base reports, and DNA findings in the file were inadequately and insufficiently examined, particularly noting that the movements of Nevzat Bahtiyar needed to be clarified through detailed video analysis. He highlighted that the acceptance of the mother, brother, and uncle having killed Narin together and in a short time was contrary to reason and the ordinary course of life. Furthermore, he stated that critical evidence such as PSA and hair samples had not been sufficiently investigated scientifically, and due to all these inadequate examinations, the decision should be overturned.
INDIA-BASED FORENSIC FIRM EXAMINED THE FOOTAGE
Upon the request of Salim Güran's lawyer Onur Akdağ, the India-based Brilliant Forensic Investigation (BFI) firm examined the camera recordings from the Dara-2 Military Base and the surrounding area related to the death of Narin Güran. BFI experts also conducted a technical analysis on the original footage by evaluating reports prepared by Professor Dirk Labudde from Germany and the National Criminal Bureau. In the detailed 122-page report, shadows and human movements detected in the camera footage were analyzed. The technical analysis revealed that the school camera was 4 minutes ahead of real time, while the Dara-2 Military Base camera was 6 minutes and 45 seconds ahead. The report was submitted by lawyer Onur Akdağ as an attachment to the appeal petition sent to the Court of Cassation. The petition requested the release of his client and a hearing for the examination of the case. Additionally, it was requested that Nevzat Bahtiyar be punished separately for 'intentional murder of a child,' 'sexual abuse of a child,' and 'deprivation of liberty' due to insufficient punishment.
"A LARGE AND SMALL SHADOW IS DETECTED NEAR BAHTIYAR'S HOUSE"
The report stated that in the school camera footage, Narin Güran was seen wearing a dark-colored t-shirt and shorts, carrying a crossbody bag at 15:15:09 on August 21, 2024, and that this footage corresponded to 15:11:09 in real time. It was noted that Narin then proceeded along a path, and while walking on the path, a large human-like shadow was detected near Nevzat Bahtiyar's house, with a high probability of belonging to him. The footage showed that the large and small shadows were very close to each other at 15:19:49, which could indicate a possible confrontation, and that the small shadow suddenly disappeared at 15:19:54, while the large shadow moved towards the barn, strengthening the possibility that Narin was abducted there.
"NO HUMAN OR VEHICLE ACTIVITY AROUND ARIF GÜRAN'S HOUSE"
The report emphasized that there was no human movement detected between 15:16:00 and 15:40:45 regarding Narin Güran's return home, and that there was also no human or vehicle activity around Arif Güran's house during the same time frame. It was stated that the statement of the suspect Nevzat Bahtiyar, claiming that he transported Narin's lifeless body from Arif Güran's house to the barn, did not align with the camera recordings, and that no movement of Nevzat Bahtiyar was detected in the enhanced footage along that route. The report noted that at 15:41:27, a dark-colored vehicle, possibly red, was detected leaving the village on a stabilized road about 300 meters outside the village, indicating that this was the only vehicle that left the village during the incident times. It was also reported that the vehicle's movement was captured by the security camera of the Dara-2 Military Base.
In the BFI report, it was also emphasized that errors were found in the calculations and image analyses in the previously prepared reports by the National Criminal Bureau (UKB) and German expert Dirk Labudde, and that the reliability was weak.